This disclosure relates to compositions having improved tribological properties, methods of manufacture thereof and to articles comprising the same.
Organic polymers are often used in applications involving the transmission of force or energy (e.g., the transmission of torque, the transmission of motion, and the like) where they are subjected to friction. Friction brings about mechanical abrasion. It is desirable for organic polymers to display as high abrasion resistance as possible. However, most polymers display poor abrasion resistance when subjected to friction at moderate pressures and at moderate sliding velocities that are generally employed in such frictional applications.
In order to reduce damage by mechanical abrasion, lubricants are often added to the organic polymer. Lubricants decrease the coefficient of friction and in turn improve wear resistance. However, the addition of lubricants has several drawbacks. In particular, in applications where force or torque needs to be transmitted, a high coefficient of friction is desirable because it allows for higher efficiency in the transmission of these forces. Lubricants have the effect of decreasing the coefficient of friction and therefore cannot be used in these applications. It is further desirable to have an organic polymeric composition that can display resistance to catastrophic failure when used in frictional applications that use high pressure and high velocities.